


Storms, Externally and Internally

by TurnArklight



Category: Wandersong (Video Game)
Genre: Wandersong Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 11:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16764163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurnArklight/pseuds/TurnArklight
Summary: Bard and Miriam had never been afraid of thunderstorms before.A one-shot about finding comfort in shared trauma.





	Storms, Externally and Internally

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for joining me today. In this story, I have decided to simply name the bard "Bard" for simplicity. More than a few portions of this story were inspired by [this excellent piece of art](https://twitter.com/sleepycilantro/status/1061082149242068992) by twitter user sleepycilantro.
> 
> A big, hearty thank you to [Caligraphunky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caligraphunky/pseuds/Caligraphunky) for proofreading.

Miriam had never been afraid of thunderstorms. If she were to look far enough back through her memories, she would find a young child, sitting in the corner of a dimly lit den of the house she had lived in for basically her entire life, playing jacks. It is storming outside, but the little girl would hardly take any notice. 

Her beloved grandmother sat in an old chair, reading. She occasionally chimed in with a fun little fact about the magical arts. “Did you know, Miriam dearest? The main ingredient in a hair growth potion is beetroot! Can you believe that, Miriam? Beetroot of all things! Isn’t that interesting? We have that in our very own garden!” Miriam isn’t particularly interested.

As a little girl, Miriam had yet to truly appreciate the more…domestic uses for magic. What did Miriam like? Miriam liked…fire! Miriam liked whizzing sparks and loud bangs! Miriam liked…lightning! _‘Lightning is cool,’_ Miriam thought as she tossed the wooden ball into the air and prepared to swoop in and grab the jacks before the ball hit the ground.

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. Miriam’s undeveloped, childlike dexterity just couldn’t keep up with the focused barrage to her senses. The ball fell to the ground, and Miriam grumbles, thoroughly jackless. “Dumb lightning.”

Although Miriam had never been afraid of thunderstorms as a child, it can be said that every individual may as well be several different people throughout their lives. The Miriam of tonight is a jittery mess.

…………

The day had started simply enough. Miriam retrieved Bard from their cozy home in Langtree for a visit in Delphi. They greeted Saphy who was, as usual, absolutely thrilled to see Bard and Miriam’s friendship still going strong, even months after their life-changing journey together. She would express her thrill out loud, (directly to the jovial Bard, in fact), much to Miriam’s unending embarrassment. They then proceeded through the crystalline caverns connecting Miriam’s home to Delphi, obviously taking a moment to greet the happy yeti couple.

They had a simple day of visiting the various villagers of Delphi planned. However, the moment they emerged from the other side of the caves, they found very few people outside, with all remaining individuals rushing to seek shelter. Dark storm clouds brewed overhead. Bard and Miriam looked at each other, shrugged, and wandered back through the caverns once again, attempting to return to Miriam’s home in time so they wouldn’t end up soaked.

Although the pair ended up trading their exciting day of socializing (or likely “observation” in Miriam’s case) for a quiet day inside, Bard and Miriam were rather confident that they had made the most of their day together. They relaxed, staying warm by the fire, listening to the rain outside, simply enjoying each other’s company. Despite their intentions to return home that evening after a lovely meal of shepherd’s pie, courtesy of Saphy, the rain showed no clear sign of letting up, prompting Saphy to recommend that Bard spend the night. Miriam shared her sentiment, fully aware that there was absolutely no chance she would even attempt to fly in such a storm. Bard enthusiastically accepted the family’s kind offer. Soon enough, Bard, Miriam, and Saphy would retire to bed for the evening.

Miriam directed Bard to a small guest bedroom, and after a quick, tight goodnight hug (Bard was pleased to find that Miriam would return this hug very easily and without fuss), Miriam retired to her own bedroom. She shut her eyes and dozed off, enveloped by sleep.

…………

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. Barely seconds after ensuring the safety of the Fairies of the Sun and Moon, Miriam is struck down by a cold, calculated, carefully aimed bolt. The center of Miriam’s back burns like fire as she drops from the sky, still fully conscious, tears streaming from her eyes. The searing pain is so intense that she is unable to make even a single sound as the ground draws closer, seemingly in slow motion. She sees the face of her dear companion change from a look of relief at the safety of their new friends to one of horror and helplessness. The ground draws ever closer until finally…

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. Miriam shoots awake from her slumber with an undignified yelp, quickly sitting up. Despite being completely awake at this point, the searing pain coming from the healed scar on her back still refuses to relent. Miriam hugs herself tightly, her nails digging into her shoulders so desperately that she fears she could potentially create yet more scars on her own body. Miriam shakily breathes deeply, labored, waiting for the pain to die down. She attempts to regain control of her body and mind. _‘STOP trembling. Get a GRIP.’_ Miriam takes another deep breath.

“What…IS this crap?” Miriam harshly whispers to herself.

Ever since the end of their journey, both Delphi and Langtree had been blessed with temperate weather. This is Miriam’s first thunderstorm since journey’s end. Needless to say, she had certainly not expected herself to react in such a violent way, but in her mind, she could clearly trace back the source of her current inner crisis. Miriam lays her head back down on her pillow, stained with tears she hadn’t even realized she had shed. She places her hand against her face and groans in defeat.  
Scratch that earlier thought, tears Miriam happened to STILL be shedding. She wipes her eyes dry. 

“Why NOW?” says Miriam, out loud to nobody.

“Why YOU?” growls Miriam, still to nobody.

“Why are YOU the one who gets to do this to me? Why are YOU the one who still gets to be a bigger drain on my life than even MYSELF, even AFTER you’re gone? You’re NOWHERE. You’re NO ONE. You’re supposed to be GONE. So GO.”

Miriam repeats her own rant several times, sometimes in her head, sometimes out loud, until she manages to tire herself out through sheer spite alone. “Just...” Miriam thinks to herself as she shuts her eyes. “Just let me put you behind me…” Miriam dozes off, positive that she could finally sleep peacefully after telling off her fears.

…………

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. A searing pain.  
But it wasn’t enough.

“That’s not enough.”

Miriam reawakens once again, her back throbbing with a dull pain. She screams into her pillow in frustration.

At this point, Miriam knows she isn’t going to be eager to attempt to sleep anymore. All she could even think to do at this point is wander back down to the den and find SOME way to keep herself busy until Saphy or Bard woke up.

Saphy or…Bard?

Bard.  
Bard is here too.

Never in Miriam’s life would she have imagined that she would feel vulnerable enough to actually consider waking her poor friend simply so she wouldn’t need to be alone. Well, tonight has been bizarre enough already. Why not add more weirdness to the pile?

Miriam sighs. “No.”

No, she wasn’t going to do that. She wasn’t going to wake Bard just because she was…ugh…afraid of thunderstorms now. 

_‘Maybe I’ll just pass by the guest room…maybe they’re still awake.’_

Yes, that’s a good plan. She won’t have to feel guilty for waking Bard, AND she might be able to keep herself occupied for the remainder of the night. Makes sense.

Miriam walks to her bedroom door, turns the knob, and begins to open the door.

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. A searing pain.

…A Bard colliding with Miriam, wrapping their arms around her, shivering violently as they cling to her for dear life.

“Oh.”

Although Bard had never been afraid of thunderstorms as a child, it can be said that every individual may as well be several different people throughout their lives. The Bard of tonight is a panic-stricken wreck.

…………

Even as Bard attempts to rush at Queen Chaos’ killer, they are quickly dispatched by a bolt of lightning penetrating their side at near-point blank range. They fall through the black void, their recent anger completely forgotten. The Bard’s fresh wound sears, as if a frozen dagger was plunged into their flesh.

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. Bard awakens from their nightmare, clutching their own side tightly, breathing heavily as they attempt to stave off the pain. 

The events following the fall of Queen Chaos were nothing Bard ever liked to think about, so they would normally choose to simply not do so. However, their vivid nightmare of those events and the searing pain of their scar refused to make that an option this time. However, it is not the moment of injury that plagues Bard tonight. No, the Bard’s distress comes from a different source.

“How about you leave it to the REAL heroes.”

Tears stream from Bard’s eyes as they cover their ears, attempting to drown out the echoes of this memory.

“How about YOU leave the…shutting up! To…you!!!“

Despite the comparatively…uninspired response to the Hero’s words, the memory of how ANGRY Bard had been refreshed in their brain.

“That’s not me…that can’t be me…” The Bard tries to tell themself. They know what they value. They value kindness. They value joy. They value optimism. 

_‘Try to talk to everyone you cross paths with, and even after you say goodbye to them, make sure they look back on their conversation with you and decide that was a GOOD part of their day.’_

This was how Bard lived their life and what they would remind themself of every single day. They knew not EVERYTHING in the world was wonderful and good, but they had always known they wanted to be AS wonderful and good as possible to everyone. That had not been the case the first time they met The Hero. The only emotion they could recall feeling at their meeting was one of anger.

The worst part was that it hadn’t been a righteous anger either. It was a jealous, bitter anger. 

_‘You even rushed her down. On that day, everything you were so sure you’d never be was ALL that you were. What do you think you would’ve done if she hadn’t stopped you?’_

“I would never…I COULD never…”

_‘Maybe you would have tried to hurt her.’_

“I wouldn’t!”

_‘You WANTED to.’_

“I wouldn’t!!!”

_‘But WHAT IF you would have? How would you have felt if you DID?’_

“I am NOT THINKING ABOUT THIS ANYMORE!!!” 

…………

The rain continues to fall loudly outside. True to their own word to…themselves, they shut away what they had just been thinking. The Bard was good at this. They had to be in order to live their life in the manner they did. Their joy and optimism was always genuine, even when there would be the occasional negative spiral. Same as…anybody else, really. 

_‘Still…’_ Bard thought. _‘I should talk to Miriam about this someday…’_

Bard knew their habits weren’t perfectly healthy. Talking about their troubles didn’t mean they were being NEGATIVE, it was how they could reach catharsis when the negative thoughts happened in the first place.

Bard grazes their hand over their healed scar, shivering slightly. They lay their head on the pillow, ready to attempt to sleep once again…

…………

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. A searing pain.

“I could save the world right now.”

A loud CRASH resounds around the room as Bard falls out of their bed, hyperventilating and sobbing violently. They very quickly decide that waiting for tomorrow is not how they wish to approach their current inner crisis. 

“M-Miriam…!” Bard manages to cry out loud through sobs, despite knowing that she is clearly not in the room. They quickly stand upright-far too quickly in fact, as they are claimed by a moment of vertigo. Still partially tangled in their own sheets after falling out of bed, their first attempt to dart out of the room is quickly cut short by them tripping and falling.

They clutch their head in pain. “Miriam…!” Bard cries out, repeating her name again and again frantically as they pull themselves upright and rush out the door. 

Bard turns a corner and reaches the door to Miriam’s room. Just as they are about to barrage her door with a series of knocks, the knob begins to turn on its own. The door opens and just as Bard’s favorite shade of cyan meets their eyes…

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. A searing pain.

Bard throws all caution to the wind as they see the surprised face of their dearest friend lit by the lightning visible from a nearby window in the hallway. Not skipping a beat, the panic-stricken Bard leaps into Miriam’s arms, face buried in her shoulder.

“Miriam…! Miriam…!!!” Bard wails, hiccupping and stuttering as they repeat her name over and over again, gripping her tightly, hanging on for dear life.

A pair of arms wrap around Bard. Bard doesn’t notice.

…………

“Oh.” Miriam says out loud, struggling to remain standing. Bard, not making any attempt to keep themselves upright, leans their full weight into Miriam.

She is unable to do anything other than gently begin crouching down so that they were safely on the floor of Miriam’s room with no danger of tumbling over. After some careful shifting around, Miriam sits with her back against the side of her bed with a now quietly sobbing Bard cradled in her arms. They remain in this position for a little while longer. After several minutes, Bard speaks up. 

“I almost let her die, Miriam…”

_'Oh. What?'_ Those were not words Miriam expected to hear coming out of the gentle Bard’s mouth. She wasn’t entirely positive what they were referring to, but she certainly had an idea. 

“Audrey?” Miriam asks for confirmation.

She feels Bard nod.

Miriam sighs.  
She gently cups Bard’s chin and tilts it in her direction. The area around Bard’s eyes are puffed red from tears. Bard observes that Miriam’s are as well. “Let’s talk.” Miriam says. “Please.” 

Bard wipes their own eyes and nods. “Y-you can go first.” 

Miriam gives Bard a gentle flick to the forehead. “No. You go first. Something tells me you need it more.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Bard nods.

…………

The pair spends some time recounting the contents of the night’s dreams to one another. At this point, they’ve both relocated to Miriam’s bed, lying on their backs, squished together like sardines in a can, as Miriam’s bed is generally made for a single individual. 

“It doesn’t feel fair.” Bard says to Miriam. “Everything is supposed to be better. The world has been reborn and everyone’s lives get to continue. Why do we still have to feel like this?”

“A lot happened on our journey.” Miriam replies. “A lot happened to US, and definitely not all of it was good.”

“I’ve read books about heroes and adventures before.” Bard remarks. “I guess…none of them ever really covered what happened to everyone after the adventure was over, though.” 

“She really did a number on us. I hate to admit it, but she really did.” Miriam bitterly states. “She really did a number on EVERYTHING. I can’t…believe how close we cut it. It was really, actually, nearly…OVER.” Miriam throws her hands in the air, in a gesture one could easily recognize as a stand-in symbol for “POOF.”

A couple of minutes pass as Miriam looks to the Bard by her side, realizing just how quiet they’ve been. She sighs and rolls over to her side to face Bard, hesitates for a moment, and places her hand over theirs. “Okay, spill. There’s more, isn’t there?”

Bard’s eyes begin to well up as they nod. Miriam listens intently as Bard gives their account of the memory brought up to the surface by her words.

…………

Bard opened their eyes to a white void. The Dream King had already been struck down and they were trapped in what was possibly the worst negative spiral they had ever experienced. 

Bard made the effort to find the good in every little aspect of the world in which they lived and were generally able to do so. However, there were two things Bard loved most about the world above all others: color and sound.

Bard loved the inviting greens and delightful birdsong of Langtree.  
They loved the red leaves and whispering winds of Delphi.  
They loved the deep blue of the ocean, as they had witnessed it from the deck of the Lady Arabica, accompanied by the jovial songs of the pirates whom resided there.  
They still held a deep fondness for the pure white snow and the sounds of civilization in Chismest.  
They loved Rulle’s rolling deserts of gold and the friendly hustle and bustle of Xiatian.  
They loved how even the shining crystalline lights of Mohabumi could never quite manage to drown out the hundreds of thousands of twinkling stars above as the residents danced their hearts out at The Crater.  
They loved the colorful flags strung up along the pathway up Mount Ichor and the joined chorus of nature, bird, insect, and harp seal alike.

It was a cruel joke, Bard had decided, that the very first things to vanish from the world as it approached the crescendo of the end were both color AND sound. 

It felt as if Eya herself were mocking Bard for their failure, that she was punishing them for even daring to try.

…………

“I don’t think you know how close I was to giving up, Miriam.” Bard says as they roll over to face away from her. “It felt like everything I had been fighting for was already gone. I feel so ashamed to admit that, but for just a little bit, that’s how I felt.”

“But you kept trying.” Miriam responded. “Even when you thought it was hopeless. I told you that I admire that about you, and I’ve never STOPPED admiring that about you.”

“If…if it’s okay…” Bard begins as they turn back over to face Miriam, the slightest hint of scarlet on their face, “I want to tell you why I was able to keep going.”

Miriam tilts her head curiously, and then nods.

“When I was seconds away from just lying down on the ground to wait for the world to end…I turned around.”

The memory of this event in Bard’s mind reflects this action as they turn around and see Miriam, sitting on her broom, determined as ever. She rushes in Bard’s direction, pointing in the direction of the crumbling stairs climbing upward to the former Dream King’s belfry. **“GO! HURRY!!”** Bard sees her mouth silently to them. Bard resolves themself and nods, turning around and runs against the tide, prepared to face their final obstacle.

“The things I loved most about living here on this world were sound and color…but when I turned around and saw you, still there with me…I realized something.”

Bard shuts their eyes tightly and breathes in deeply, unprepared to look Miriam in the eye as they quickly dedicate themselves to saying the next thing on their mind, all in one breath.  
_“I decided that I’d be okay if color and sound never ever came back as long as you could still be a part of my life!”_

This time, Miriam’s cheeks burn bright scarlet as she gazes at Bard wide-eyed. Bard still hasn’t opened their own eyes.

Bard continues. “I love this world so, so much. But the thing I love the most about it is that you’re here in it. With me.”

Miriam’s heart skips a beat. _‘Did they really just say that? To me??? ME of all people???’_ was the first thought that came to her head, but her momentary insecurities were quickly battered aside by…something else. An idea.  
Yes, Miriam knows exactly what she wants to do right now, at this moment.

Bard’s eyes remain shut tight, still unwilling to witness Miriam’s reaction to what they had just said. Moments later, however, alarm bells ring in their brain as they feel arms wrap around them as well as something warm and soft gently come in contact with their cheek. Bard’s eyes shoot open as Miriam withdraws from them. Their head swims in confusion and joy, Miriam’s kiss still tingling. 

They see a small, shy smile on Miriam’s face as she still holds onto them. Happy tears threaten to fall from Bard’s eyes as they start beaming, glowing like the sun, Miriam’s new favorite sight. Bard wraps their arms around Miriam as well as they hold each other close.

“For what it’s worth,” Miriam begins, “You’re the thing I love most about the world too.”

“It’s worth everything.” Bard responds.

Both Bard and Miriam feel themselves begin to doze off, melting into each other’s embrace.

“love you…Miriam…” Bard muzzily whispers to their companion tangled in their arms.

“yeah…love you too…” Miriam responds, similarly prepared to finally capitalize on the remainder of the night.

…………

A flash of lightning. A crack of thunder. A searing pain.

Bard and Miriam hold each other through a sleepless night. They wipe each other’s tears away and whisper words of reassurance in each other’s ears. Their lips clumsily meet for the first time that night, creating a beautiful new memory and a new chapter in their lives together alongside this night of painful, exhausting insomnia.

Although Bard and Miriam had never been afraid of thunderstorms before, it can be said that every individual may as well be several different people throughout their lives. The Miriam and Bard of tonight continue to battle their respective shadows, left behind by a common source, by a common journey. They share each other’s pain and will continue to share in each other’s lives. Together.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, special thanks/blame go to Greg, Em, and Gord for creating a very very good thing, as well as the Wandersong Fan Discord for being pretty alright I guess
> 
> Edit: This fic made some art happen!  
> [ By LaconicFairy on Tumblr!](https://laconicfairy.tumblr.com/post/180598204734/hey-so-my-friend-turnarklight-wrote-a-really?is_related_post=1)  
> [ By richy_nepp on Twitter!](https://twitter.com/richy_nepp/status/1067653632483565569)


End file.
